Kayla Harrison can always count on Alexandre Pantoja to push her in the gym.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist climbed to the top of the bantamweight mountain in June, securing a dominant second-round submission victory over Julianna Pena at UFC 316 to claim the promotion’s 135-pound crown.

Harrison looked practically flawless in her first-ever title fight inside the Octagon — something she can partially credit to her American Top Team teammate and fellow UFC champion.

“[Alexandre] Pantoja is my inspiration, you know? Like, when I’m having a rough day in the gym, I look at him and actually every time I go with him, like, this is not—I’m not even exaggerating,” Harrison told MMA Junkie while attending last month’s UFC Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas. “I usually go with him the last round of MCO Mondays and if I do, I probably am going to throw up. Like, chances nine out of ten times, I’m by the bucket throwing up. He’s just—he’s a leader and who he is. He’s a family man. He’s taken the hard road to get here, and he hasn’t skipped any of the steps.

“So he’s an inspiration to me. And to hear that he thinks that is—it’s the highest praise you could give me. Especially from your teammates. These are the people who sweat and bleed and cry with you. So that’s—yeah. It’s an honor.”

Alexandre Pantoja and Kayla Harrison already know what’s next

Pantoja’s hard work paid off once again at UFC 317. ‘The Cannibal’ put away Kai Kara-France in their co-main event clash during International Fight Week, notching his fourth successful defense of the flyweight championship.

Interestingly, both Pantoja and Harrison already know who they’ll be tasked with taking out next. The former will meet fast-rising contender Joshua Van, who skyrocketed himself to the top spot in the flyweight rankings with a brilliantly violent performance against former title challenger Brandon Royval.

As for Harrison, she finds herself once again on a collision course with ex-teammate and former champ-champ Amanda Nunes.

Craig Pekios

Craig Pekios is a freelance writer born and raised in Bettendorf, IA. Joining LowKick MMA in May 2022, Craig has more than 4,000 articles published that focus on the world of MMA and boxing, including news, event previews, results, analysis, and op-eds.